The Mets are one win away from the NLDS! The Mets traveled back to Milwaukee and took game one of the series on Tuesday. The Brewers scored first, then the Mets responded. Later the Brewers took the lead, then the Mets responded in a big way, scoring five runs with two outs to take the lead. At that point the Mets locked down the Brewers for the rest of the game.
Tonight is the first time the Mets play in Milwaukee with a flipped script. It is the Brewers who now have to win. It’s the Brewers who are now dealing with memories of past failure, when the Diamondbacks won the Wild Card series in Milwaukee last season. How do the Brewers come out? How do the Mets respond?
Sean Manaea has pitched 181 2/3 innings this season, surpassing his previous career high in his last start. He has a 3.47 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 1.084 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against the Brewers who tagged him for six runs, five earned, over 3 2/3 innings. That Friday night game feels like a season ago after the last few days the Mets have had though. The Brewers have the following career numbers against Manaea:
- Willy Adamaes 1-9, 2 BB, 3 K
- Jackson Chourio 1-3
- William Contreras 2-6, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K
- Sal Frelick 0-2, K
- Eric Haase 2-4, 2B, HR, K
- Rhys Hoskins 2-6, 2 HR, K
- Garrett Mitchell 1-1, 2B
- Joey Ortiz 0-2
- Blake Perkins 0-2
- Gary Sánchez 3-8, 2 2B, BB, K
- Brice Turang 3-3, 2B
Frankie Montas has a 4.84 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.367 WHIP and an 89 ERA+ over 150 2/3 innings. As a member of the Brewers he has a 4.55 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.256 WHIP and a 92 ERA+ over 57 1/3 innings. He started against the Mets (also against Sean Manaea) last Friday and allowed two runs from two hits over four innings. In his last three starts he has allowed 13 runs, 12 earned, over 12 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Pete Alonso 1-5, 2 K
- Francisco Alvarez 0-1, BB, K
- Jose Iglesias 2-9, 2 K
- Francisco Lindor 4-12, 2 2B, 4 BB, 4 K
- Starling Marte 5-8, K
- J.D. Martinez 2-10, 2B, 2 BB, K
- Brandon Nimmo 0-5, 2 K
- Tyrone Taylor 0-1
- Luis Torrens 2-8, HR, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 1-2, HR, K
- Jesse Winker 2-8, 3 BB, 3 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- The Brewers Approach. Tuesday afternoon the Brewers came out of the gate swinging at first pitches. They were aggressive on the basepath – it felt like every opportunity they had to take an extra base they did. There was a stretch of several innings that it felt like the Brewers were starting the inning off with a runner on second. Once the Mets settled down after their big fifth inning, they were able to nullify this strategy. Do the Brewers do more of the same tonight? Do they drop back to last weekend’s strategy of just getting on base and stealing bases?
- Attacking the Brewers Bullpen. The Brewers had to go into their bullpen early Tuesday after the Mets knocked Peralta after four innings. The Mets then scored five runs against Payamps and Asby, two of the better pitchers in the Brewers bullpen, which has been a strength for them this season. The Brewers still have a lot of strong, fresh arms available for tonight’s game but what the Mets did on Tuesday helped to flip the narrative from last week.
- Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos went 2-for-4 in his post season debut with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Vientos also hit a two-run home run against Frankie Montas last Friday when things were looking bleak for the Mets. Does he have another big moment in him?
Let’s Go Mets!
